Hemstitching attachment for sewing machines



G. L. HINMAN ET AL HEMSTITCHING ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES Feb. 2,1937.

4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 26, 1954 Feb. 2, 1937- G. L. HINMAN El ALHEMSTITCHiNG ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES 4 Sheets-Sheet '2 Filed Dec.26, 1934 S t w 1937- G. HINMAN ET AL HEMSTITCHING ATTACHMENT FOR SEWINGMACHINES Filed Dec. 26, 1954 4 Sheets-Sheet. 3

v amen 1M5 on W ' Feb. 2, 1937. G. L HINMAN ET AL HEMSTITCHINGATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Dec. 26, 1934 awnMags W G -W Patented Feb. 2, 1937 UNITED sTA'rs rArs HEMSTITCHINGATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES Application December 26, 1934, Serial No.759,146

34 Claims.

This invention relates to devices for doing heinstitching work andparticularly to an attachment for this purpose for the ordinaryhousehold sewing machine, and involves a number of improvements on thehemstitching attachment shown in the patent of Greist and Hinman, No.1,986,056, granted January 1, 1935.

While devices have been proposed heretofore which are designed forattachment to the usual household sewing machine, in order to performhemstitching operations thereupon, these devices in some respects are ofcomplicated construction and for that reason are more or less expensiveto manufacture and difi'icult to maintain in proper working order.

The present invention has for one of its objects the simplification andimprovement of the hemstitching attachment shown in the patent aboveidentified in. order to render such attachment more accurate andpositive in operation in some respects and to make cheaper itsconstruction and the assembly of the parts thereof.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a hemstitchingdevice which will be relatively cheap to manufacture and assemble, andat the same time be eiiicient and positive in operation.

Another object of the invention is to provide a hemstitching attachmentfor household sewing machines in which the length of the feed step maybe varied and readily reset to its original position.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of a hemstitchingattachment for household sewing machines in which the piercer may bemoved to inoperative position and thereafter returned precisely to itsoriginal position.

A still further object of our invention is to provide a hemstitchingattachment for household sewing machines of improved design,construction and operation.

To these and other ends, the invention consists in the novel featuresand combinations of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of our device as applied to anordinary household sewing machine;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the attachment;

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view taken from the side opposite thatshown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a sectional View on line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a sectional View on line 55 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a detail view showing the feed operating mechanism;

Fig. 7 is an enlarged side elevational View of the attachment alone;

Fig. 8 is a sectional view on line 88 of Fig. '7;

Fig. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view through the attachment;

Fig. 10 is an enlarged detail view of the piercer and supportingmechanism therefor;

Fig. 11 is a sectional view on line |l--ll of Fig. 7;

Fig. 12 is a top plan View of the throat plate or cover;

Fig. 13 is a sectional view on line l3l3 of Fig. 12;

Fig. 14 is a detail view of the piercer;

Figs. 15 and 16 are detail views showing a modification oi the mechanismfor moving the piercer arm laterally;

Fig. 17 is a sectional view on line ll'-l'l of Fig. 4; and

Figs. 18 and 19 are respectively side and plan 1 views of a modifiedform of the attachment.

To illustrate a preferred embodiment of our invention, We have shown inFig. 1 a portion of the head it of a sewing machine having the usualpresser bar H and needle bar 12, the latter carrying at its lower end,theusual sewing needle I3.

In the use of the attachment herein described, the usual presser foot ona household sewing machine is removed from the presser bar I l and theattachment secured to the presser bar in place thereof, as will behereinafter described, the attachment being provided with a presser footof its own. Also, the usual feeding plate or feeding dog in a householdsewing machine is covered by the throat plate or cover 14 as theattachment is provided with a feeding arrangement to feed the cloththerethrough in accordance with the requirements of the hemstitchingoperation, which are different from those of the usual sewing operation.

The parts of the attachment are supported upon a base or supportcomprising a horizontal base or plate portion provided with upstandingflanges i6 and ii at the side edges thereof. The base plate is providedwith a relatively large opening is adjacent its central portion, a smallopening l9 rearwardly of the opening I3, and a slot 29 adjacent its rearedge. Adjacent the front edge, the plate i5 is extended forwardly andoffset downwardly, as shown at 2 l terminating in a presser foot 22provided with an opening 23 through which moves the ordinary machineneedle and piercer of the hemstitching attachment.

It will be seen that the opening 23 in this instance is, roughly, ofL-shaped formation and may be described as consisting of connectinglongitudinal and transverse slots, the longitudinal slot beingrelatively narrow, as shown at 23 so that the metal of the presser footat this point will extend fairly closely to the needle and piercer tofurnish a substantial support to the cloth during the piercingoperation.

The forward portion of the side flange I6 is extended to provide anintegrally formed U-shaped member 24 designed to embrace the presser barII and be secured thereto. The member 24 is, as stated, an integral partof the flange l6 and formed into the proper shape to embrace the presserbar. This provides for the attaching of the attachment to the machine,the part 24 being secured to the presser bar by means of a screw passedthrough the opening 25 and threaded into the presser bar.

The flanges l6 and H are provided with aligned openings 21 and 28 toreceive a rotatable shaft or arbor which eXtends through these flangesand carries some of the working parts of the device. This shaft,designated by thenumeral 29, is provided with an'enlarged portion 30fitting in the opening 21 of the flange Hi to give the shaft abearingtherein. At the other end of the shaft the latter is providedwitha reduced end portion upon which a cam 3| is secured by being forcedagainst the shoulder 32 by the upset end 33 of the shaft. At this endthe shaft has a bearing in the opening in the flange I1. A hub member 33is non-rotatably keyed to the shaft by means of the tenon 33 formed onthe enlarged portion 30. This hub member is provided with steppedportions 34 and 35 upon which are non-rotatably secured the cams 34 and35, the cam member 34 being spaced from the adjacent shoulder of thestep portion 35 by an additional step portion 36. A further reducedportion 31 of the hub member abuts the flange l1. Upon the part 30 ofthis shaft is rotatably mounted a lever 42 having a pawl 43 pivotedthereon, which pawl is in engagement with a toothed wheel 44non-rotatably secured upon the end of the shaft 29. lever 42 is thusloosely mounted between the toothed wheel 44 and the flange Hi.

It will be apparent that this provides a very convenient arrangement forthe manufacture and assembly of these parts, shown more especially inFig. 4. The toothed wheel 44 may be secured to the end of the shaft 29by being pressed upon serrations 45 thereon, and the lever 42 mountedupon the enlarged portion 30 of this shaft against this wheel. The cammembers 34 and 35 are then secured upon the hub member 33*. This hubmember is then positioned between the flanges l6 and H. The shaft29,'with the lever 42 and wheel 44 thereon, is slipped through theopening in the hub member and through the flange H. The cam member 3| ismounted upon the reduced end of the shaft and the end of the shaft isthen upset as at 33 to secure the parts in place.

An arm 41 is pivoted to the flange IT by means of a bolt passing throughan opening in the arm and an opening 49 in the flange. This arm extendsforwardly, and secured to its free end is the piercer head 50 carryingthe piercer 5|.

The piercer head 50 is rotatably secured to a plate 50 the plate beingsecured to the forward end of the arm 41 by means of screws 52 at theends of the plate which pass through slotted openings in the arm 41 sothat the plateand piercer head may be adjusted to some extent Thelongitudinally of the arm 41. The piercer head 50 is mounted to rotateon the base 50 around the opening receiving the screw 50*, so that byloosening this screwthe piercer head may be swung through an angle offrom the position shown in Fig. 7 to that shown in Fig. 10 where thepiercer is in a horizontal inoperative position. This will be done whenit is desired to use the device for making a fancy stitch of somecharacter, such as applique work instead of the usual hemstitchingoperation. When it is desired to return the piercer to its normalpositionthat shown in Fig. 7the screw 5|] may be loosened and thepiercer head is swung downwardly until the horizontal portion 5| e ofthe piercer strikes against the shoulder 50 on the plate 50. Thiseffectively locates the piercer in the proper verti-- cal position forthe hemstitching operation so that it may always be moved back exactlyto its original position.

The forward end of the arm 41 and the plate 5| are provided withrecesses 53 and 54, shown more especially in Fig. 9, to permit thisadjustment of the piercer to inoperative position.

A spring 55 normally urges the arm 41 upwardiy in order to maintain itsupper surface against the cam arms of the cam wheel 3|. Adjacent the camwheel, the upper surface of the arm is provided with notches 55 and 51to receive these cam arms 58. It will be apparent that upon rotation ofthe shaft 29 by operation of the lever 42 and pawl 43, the cam wheelwill be rotated in the direction of the arrow shown in Fig. 1. One ofthe arms 58 will be caused to enter the notch 51, and upon furtherrotation it will ride up upon the high portion 59 between the notches 56and 51 and depress the arm 41 to cause the piercer to enter the cloth.The depressedposition of this arm is shown in Fig. 7. Further rotationof the shaft 29 will cause this arm 58 to move opposite the notch 56, atwhich time the spring 55 will cause the arm 41 to move upwardly towithdraw the piercer from the cloth, and this upward movement will bechecked by the engagement of the following arm 58 inv the notch 51.There are four of these arms upon the cam 3|, while there are twelveteeth uponthe wheel 44; thus one stroke of the piercer arm will beeffected for each three upward movements of the lever 42.

A lateral extension 41 formed on the forward part of, the arm 41 extendsinto the path of the needle bar |2 so that when the latter descends, the

arm 41 will be moved downwardly and cause the piercer 5| to enter thecloth to preform an opening therein prior to the downward movement ofthe piercer effected by the cam wheel 3|. It will be understood that thepiercer is one step in advance of the needle so that while the latter isentering one opening, the former will be making a subsequent opening. Itis therefore very important to have the step-by-step feed of thematerial upon which the hemstitching is being done conform exactly tothe distance between the piercer and the needle.

The forward feeding movement of the clothis effected by means of a feedbar 60 plvotally and slidably secured to the plate |5 adjacent one endby means of the rivet 6| secured in the body of the feed bar 60 andhaving its body portion passing throughthe slot 20. This is not a truepivotal attachment, but nevertheless will permit a pivotal movement aswell as a sliding movebe raised and lowered to engage and disengage thecloth. It will be noted that the opening 20 is enlarged at its rear end,as shown at 29 to permit the head of the rivet 6| to pass through theopening 29 so as to detach the feed bar when desired. It will beunderstood that in ordinary movements of the bar, the rivet does notmove sufficiently far in a rearward direction for the rivet head toregister with this enlarged part of the opening.

Adjacent the intermediate portion of the bar, the metal thereof isdisplaced downwardly, as shown at 62, to provide a recess 63, and at itsfree end, at which the cloth enters, a pair of spring fingers E34 andare secured to the bar, which members are spaced so that the presserfoot 22 is received between them. Surrounding the members 64 and 65 arebands of rubber or similar friction material Eri and 65 These frictionmembers engage'the cloth when the feed bar is pressed downwardlythereon, and as these fingers are resilient, the pressure exerted bythem upon the cloth will always be substantially the same even thoughone may happen to be disposed at a slightly diiferent level than theother. This will provide for a straight-line feeding of the cloth, whichwould otherwise not be the case, for when one finger bears more firmlyupon the cloth than the other, the latter is apt to be fed more upon oneside than the other. The rubber bands around the spring fingers willgrip the cloth to effect a lateral feeding thereof during thehemstitching operation.

Between the rear ends of these sprin fingers, the feed bar is providedwith teeth or serrations 66 which grip the cloth and provide for theforward feeding thereof.

Upon the feed bar 59 are provided vertically disposed lugs 52 and 68which project upwardly through the opening l 8 in the plate l5 and whichare disposed upon opposite sides of the cam wheel 35 to be engaged bythe cam surfaces thereof. These lugs may be conveniently formed bystriking up portions of the feed bar 61!, and are situated closelyadjacent the recess 63. As shown in Fig. 4, the lug extends closelyadjacent the pivoted arm 4'! so as to engage this arm and move itlaterally when the feed bar is moved laterally. Upon the other or outerside of the arm 47, a post or pin 58* is secured to the feed bar so thatthe arm ll will be positively moved in both directions with the bar.

In Figs. 15 and 16, a slight modification is shown wherein the arm il isprovided with a depending lug or finger QT which extends through anelongated slot 4? in the feed bar 523. This finger and slot connectionmay be used in place of the pin Mi and that portion of the lug 68adjacent the arm ail, as it will effect lateral movements of the armwith the feed bar 59 and at the same time provide for longitudinalmovements of the feed bar Bil relatively to the arm 41.

Secured to the feed bar 683 is an L-shaped member 69 which projectsupwardly through the opening E9 of the plate E5, the arm being securedto the feed bar by the rivet iii. A small lever H is pivoted to themember 59 by the rivet 12 so that it may be moved from the full-lineposition shown in Fig. 5 to the dotted-line position shown in thatfigure. The lower end of the lever 7! is adapted to be engaged by thearm T3 of a bell crank lever pivoted at M to the flange H. The other arm'55 of this lever is adapted to be engaged by the cam 34, the lever armsbeing provided at their ends with horizontal portions to render theseengagements more positive.

When the lever H is in the position shown in Fig. 6 and in the fulllines of Fig. 5, the arm I3 strikes against the lower end of this leverand moves the feed bar 60 rearwardly, the rivet or pin 6! slidingthrough the slot 20. When the lever H is moved to the dotted-lineposition as shown in Fig. 5, the lower end thereof will no longer be inthe path of the lever arm 13 but in this instance the lever arm I3 willstrike against the member 69 and effect a feeding movement of the bar60, which movement, however, will be shorter than the regular movementeffected through the engagement with the lever Tl. This shorter movementwill be used with a fancy stitch or work other than hemstitching whenthe piercer has been moved to inoperative position. It will be apparentthat when the lever is moved upwardly again to full-line position, thenormal feed step will be restored, so that if the operator has shortenedthe feed, he may thereafter readily restore it to its exact originaladjustment where it will properly register with the distance between theneedle and piercer. A spring washer H is placed under the head of therivet to hold the lever in adjusted position.

The cam 35, to which reference has already been made, is provided uponits periphery with four cam surfaces Ti, each of which is followed by adwell l! terminating in an abrupt shoulder l8, and the material of thiswheel is displaced laterally at four points about its periphery, asshown at 79, to provide four lateral camming portions as well as thefour vertical camming portions H. These cams, in conjunction with themovements of the feed bar, effect the forward and side movements of thecloth. This cam wheel is substantially the same in construction andoperation as that shown in the Greist and Hinman patent No. 1,986,056,above referred to. I

At the beginning of the operation of the device, the feed bar is in theposition. shown in Fig. 3, which is slightly above the presser foot 22,and the shoulder 18 of the cam lies in the recess 63. When the arm 42 isbrought upwardly to turn the shaft 29, the cam surface 71 will depressthe feed bar downwardly upon. the cloth and slightly raise the presserfoot therefrom, as

shown, for example, in Fig. 9. Continued move-' ment of the lever 42will cause the lateral cam portion 19 to pass between the lugs 61 and 68and move the feed bar and cloth to the left, as shown in Fig. 8. Asecond stroke of the lever 42 causes the dwell ill of the cam wheel tohold the feed bar upon the cloth while the cam i portion 19 effects areturn of the feed bar to the right from the position shown in Fig. 8'.The needle then moves downwardly and. effects another stitch in theopening made by the piercer and the parts are then in position for aforward feeding of the cloth.

This ,forward feeding movementis accompl shed by the feed bar 56, and itwill be recalled that this feed bar has, by the cam portion I! and dwellportion Ti been moved downwardly and held against the cloth. The feedingmovement of the feed bar is effected by the cam 34 and lever arm 13.This cam has four curved or dwell portions 80 which are between the highshoulder portions 8|, these surfaces being in position to engage againstthe horizontal portion of the lever arm 85, the lever arm being heldagainst the cam by means of the spring 82 connected at one end to thelug 6'! and at the other end to a stud 83 onthe flange Hi. This springis inclined in an upward direction so that it not only tends to draw thelug 12 toward the cam, but also tends to draw the feed bar upwardlytoward the plate I5 when it is not held down by the cams TI and 11 Onone side of the high point 8| on the cam 34 is an abrupt shoulder 8|providing a depression into which the arm 15 drops to permit the feedbar to be returned to its original position by its spring.

The lever 42 is provided with a bifurcated end 89 providing a slot 90within a which is adapted to be received the usual screw attached to theneedle bar l2 of the sewing machine; so that this lever is operated bythe reciprocating movements of the needle bar. It will of course beunderstood that during the downward movements of the needle bar, thepawl 43 simply rides freely over the teeth of the wheel 44, and theupward stroke of the needle bar is the effective stroke so far asconcerns the efiective operation of the hemstitching attachment. It mayalso be observed that as there are twelve teeth upon the wheel'44, andthree of these are employed during each complete cycle of operation ofthe hems'titching device, a complete revolution of the member 44 effectsfour hemstitching operations. Thus there are four cam arms 58 and fourseparate cam surfaces upon each of the cam wheels 34 and 3%, so thateach of these members performs its particular operation four timesduring each revolution. Each one of these cams performs one operation,therefore, during three upward strokes of the needle bar and lever 42.

The piercer 5! is shown more particularly in Fig. 14 and as there shownconsists of a horizontal portion 5W and a vertical portion 5| Thehorizontal portion is secured in an opening 51 in the piercer head 50,as shown more particular-- ly in Fig. 11, and is held in place by meansof the setscrew 5W, shown in Fig. 7. By loosening this screw, a lateraladjustment of the piercer may be effected.

The piercer itself is of a particular shape and design. Referring toFig. 14, it will be noted that the arm 5! is not set exactly at rightangles to the portion 5W, but instead the angle between these members isapproximately 94, so that the vertical portion of the piercer pointsoutwardly away from the line of stitching to a slight extent. On theother hand, the point of the piercer is not tapered equally upon bothsides. About one-third of the taper is provided upon what may be termedthe inside, as shown at 5l and about two-thirds of the taper upon theopposite side, as shown at El This causes the inner edge of the piercerto lie closely against the line of stitching on it downward strokeduring the second travel of the goods through the machine and providesfor the goods to be pulled mainly away from the line of stitching duringthe stroke so that the stitching is not interfered with, and at the sametime a full-sized opening will be effected. At the same time theslightly obtuse angle of .the verticalportion of the piercer throws thepoint thereof outwardly to a sufficient extent so that the'point willalways clear the line of stitching and not foul or cut it during itsdownward movement;

As shown more es ecially in Fig. 5, the bell crank lever comprising thelever arms l3 and I5 is supported'upon the screw 14, the shank 14 ofwhich is received in an opening in a collar 14" upon the nut 14. Theopening is slightly eccentricto the collar so that by rotating the nutand collar, a slight adjustment of the pivotal point of the bell cranklever may be made. The nut is thereafter secured in adjusted position bytightening the screw 14. It will be seen that this arrangement providesfor a slight adjustment of this bell crank lever in order to adjust thelength of the feeding step accurately to the distance between thepiercer and needle. This adjustment will ordinarily be made at thefactory when the device is assembled and will not be changed thereafter,as any change in the length of the feeding step for different kinds ofwork will be accomplished through the pivoted lever 1 I.

The throat plate I4 shown in Figs. 12 and 13 is, as stated, secured tothe bed of the machine below the hemstitching attachment so as to coverthe usual feed dog. This throat plate is provided with a laterallyelongated slot I4 for the piercer and an opening M for the needlerearwardly of this slot. It will be noted from reference to Figs. 12 and13 that the metal of the upper surface of this throat plate is recessedforwardly and laterally about the needle opening l4 so that the mouth ofthis opening lies below the horizontal level of the upper surface of theplate. The portion of the cloth in which the opening has been made bythe piercer passing downwardly through the lateral opening l4 is nextfed over the needle opening M As the metal between these openings isbelow the surface of the plate, this metal will not form such an abruptshoulder as would otherwise be the case, so that the burr which'usuailyoccurs on the lower side of the cloth due to the thrust of the piercertherethrough will not be drawn over a sharp shoulder and thus forcedback into the opening to fill the same. The same action takes place whenthe cloth is moved laterally, as there is a lateral depression to theleft of the needle opening, as shown in Fig. 12, and thus whenthe clothis moved to the left, the burr will not be pressed upwardly into theopening.

A marker in the form of a line I4 is provided on the surface of thethroat plate forwardly of the piercer slot l4 to indicate the correctsetting of the point of the piercer laterally of the slot. This line mayadvantageously be colored black so that it will be readilydistinguishable as it will then be in contrast to the polished metalsurface of the throat plate. This will indicate the correct setting ofthe piercer with respect to the adjustment provided by the setscrew 5l Abrief description of the entire operation of the device may now behelpful. Assuming that a hole has been made in the cloth by the piercerand the cloth has been fed forwardly so that the needle now registerswith this hole, with the parts in the position shown in Figs. 1, 2 and3, the needle bar l2 of the sewing machine has descended to make astitch in the cloth. During the descent of this bar the end thereofstrikes the part 4'! on the piercer arm and drives the piercer into thecloth to preform another hole to be madetherein. While this perforationis not essential at this time, it serves later to relieve the strain onthe piercer arm when the latter in a subsequent step carries the piercerdown through this same opening. When the needle bar l2 moves upwardly,the lever 42 is likewise moved upwardly and the pawl 43 moves thetoothed wheel 44 through a distance equal to one tooths space, thusrotating the shaft 29. This causes one of the arms 58 (that shown in therecess 51 in Fig. 7) to ride upwardly upon the surface 59 and moves thepiercer arm 41 downwardly, thus moving the piercer 5| through the samehole in the cloth made, as described above, at the time of the previousdescent of the needle bar and tending to increase the size of the hole.At the time that the piercer member is moving downwardly the cam surfacell will move the feed bar 60 downwardly in contact with the cloth, thusslightly raising the presser foot 22. Thereafter, but still during thefirst stroke of the lever 42, the lateral cam surface 19 upon the camwheel 35 will engage the lug 68 to move the front end of the feed bar 60from the position shown in Fig. 2 to the position shown in Fig. 7

so that the cloth will have been moved laterally to the left. Thepiercer arm 4'! is likewise moved laterally at this time by contact ofthe lug 68 therewith. so that the piercer 5! is moved with the cloth,thus assisting in controlling the lateral movement of the cloth.

The needle bar 12 then descends to cause the needle to again enter thecloth and makea stitch to one side of the opening made by the piercer.When the needle bar again moves upwardly, a second upward stroke of thelever 42 will be produced. During this stroke the cam surface 19 movesout of contact with the lug 68, and the surface of this membercontacting with the lug 61 effects a return lateral movement to theright of the free end of the feed bar 60 to bring the cloth back to itsoriginal position. This lateral movement is also aided by the spring 82which occupies a slightly diagonal position when the feed bar is movedto one side.

The needle bar again descends and makes another stitch in the openingmade by the piercer, thus completing the return side stitch soas tobring the parts in position for a forward feeding movement and for aforward stitch in the cloth. When the needle bar again ascends andeifects the third upward movement of the lever 41, the

cam arm 58 rides out of contact with the part '59 and drops into therecess 56, thus releasing the piercer arm 4'! and permitting it to bemoved upwardly out of the cloth by the spring 55.

Thereafter, the lever arm 15 is caused to ride toward the high portion8| of the cam 34 and thus move the feed bar .60 to the right, as shownin Fig. 9, to effect a forward feeding movement of the cloth. Just priorto the end of this forward feeding movement, the shoulder 18 of the camwheel 39 drops into the recess 63 to permit the free end of the feed bar60 to be raised upwardly out of contact with the cloth by the spring 82.Just after this has taken place, the high point 8| of the cam 34 ridesupwardly out of contact with the lever arm 15 and thus releases thislug, which is secured to the feed bar 60 so that the latter will bemoved forwardly by the spring 82 to its original position. The parts arenow in position for a subsequent cycle of operations, for when theneedle bar again descends it will take a forward stitch in the cloth andstrike the piercer head to cause the latter to be moved downwardly, aspreviously explained.

It will be understood that in order to effect a complete hemstitchingoperation, it is necessary that the cloth be passed through theattachment twice. After passing through the machine once, as abovedescribed, it is turned end for end and again put through theattachment. On this second travel of the cloth through the machine, itwill be understood that as the cloth is put through in the oppositedirection, the lateral stitches will be made on the side of the openingsopposite that upon which they were made during the first travel of thecloth, thus completing the hemstitching operation.

In the form of my device which has heretofore been described, it will berecalled that while the piercer is first moved downwardly by engagementof the needle bar with the member or extension 41*, subsequently thepiercer is moved downwardly through the same opening in the cloth by oneof the arms of the cam 3|. In Figs. 18 and 19 of the drawings, I haveshown a somewhat modified form of attachment wherein the piercer isoperated entirely by the needle barand moves upwardly and downwardly insynchronism with the movements of the needle bar. According to themodification shown in these figures of the drawings, the cam wheel 31 isreplaced by the circular disk 3H. This disk merely acts as a stop forthe piercer arm 41 to limit the upward movement of the latter. Thenotches 56 and 51 shown in the piercer arm in Fig. 7, for example, maybe, and preferably are, omitted in the arm 41 shown in the modificationin Figs. 18 and. 19. The piercer arm is, however, provided with theextension l! which extends laterally into the path of the needle bar andis adapted to be engaged by the latter and moved downwardly through thecloth at each downward stroke of the needle bar. The spring .55 movesthe arm 41 upwardly when this movement is permitted by the upwardmovement of the needle bar, so that according to this construction thepiercer arm follows the movements of the needle bar. It will of coursebe understood that in this instance the piercer is not held downwardlyin the opening in the cloth during the lateral movement of the cloth butis carried upwardly by the spring 55 after each downward stroke alongwith the needle bar, so that it is not engaged in the opening in thecloth when the latter is moved in a lateral direction. In other respectsthe modification shown in Figs. 18 and 19 is similar to that shown inFigs. 1 to 14.

While we have shown and described a preferred embodiment of theinvention, it will be understood that it is not to be limited to all ofthe details shown, but is capable of modification and variation withinthe spirit of the invention and within the scope of the appended claims.

What we claim is:

1. A hemstitching attachment for sewing machines including a feed baradapted to engage and move the work, said feed bar being provided withresilient work-engaging means, said means comprising a pair of resilientmembers secured to the bar at their rear ends only and projectingforwardly therefrom.

2. A hemstitching attachment provided with a feed bar to impart afeeding movement to the work, said feed bar being provided adjacent oneend with work-engaging means projecting forwardly of said bar, and saidmeans being of resilient material and extending on opposite sides of theneedle whereby the pressure upon the work upon opposite sides of theneedle will be equalized.

3. A hemstitching attachment provided with a movable feed bar, andwork-engaging means situated at one end of said bar, said meanscomprising a pair of laterally spaced spring fingers extending forwardlybeyond the bar.

4. A hemstitching attachment provided with a movable feed bar,work-engaging means situated at one end of said bar, said meanscomprising a pair of laterally spaced spring fingers connected to thefeed bar at their rear ends and extending forwardly from said bar, andfriction means on the under sides of said fingers to engage the work.

5. A hemstitching attachment provided with a movable feed bar,work-engaging means situated at one end of said bar, said meanscomprising a pair of laterally spaced spring fingers, and the under sideof said bar being provided with workengaging teeth rearwardly of saidfingers.

6. A hemstitching attachment comprising a frame, a feed bar slidablyconnected with said frame, said slidable connection comprising a slot inone of said members and a headed pin in the other of said members, andsaid slot having an enlarged portion at one end thereof to permit thepassage of the head of said pin to provide for detachment of the barfrom the frame, and means normally preventing said pin head fromregistering with the enlarged portion of said opening.

'7. A hemstitching attachment for sewing machines comprising a framemember adapted to be secured to the presser bar of the machine, meansfor feeding the cloth past said attachment comprising a feed bar movablyattached to the frame member and adapted for longitudinal and verticalmovement, and means to move said feed bar longitudinally of the frameincluding a rotatable cam member carried by the frame, a lever pivotedon a horizontal axis for actuation by said cam member, and a partsecured to the feed bar and in turn actuated by said lever.

8. A hemstitching attachment for sewing machines comprising a framemember adapted to be secured to the presser bar of the machine, meansfor feeding the cloth past said attachment comprising a feed bar movablyattached to the frame member and adapted for longitudinal and verticalmovement, and means to move said feed bar longitudinally of the frameincluding a rotatable cam member carried by the frame, a lever actuatedby said cam member, and a part secured to the feed bar and in turnactuated by said lever, said lever having an adjustable pivot wherebythe length of the feed step may be adjusted.

9. A hemstitching attachment for sewing machines comprising a framemember adapted to be secured to the presser bar of the machine, meansfor feeding the cloth past said attachment comprising a feed bar movablyattached to the frame member and adapted for longitudinal and verticalmovement, means to move said feed bar longitudinally of the frameincluding a rotatable cam member carried by the frame, and an elementpivoted on the frame on a horizontal axis, said element being actuatedby said cam member and adapted to engage and move said feed bar.

10. A hemstitching attachment for sewing machines comprising a framemember adapted to be secured to the presser bar of the machine, meansfor feeding the cloth past said attachment comprising a feed bar movablyattached to the frame member and adapted for longitudinal and verticalmovement, means to move said feed bar longitudinally of the frameincluding a rotatable cam member carried by the frame, an elementmovably mounted on the frame actuated by said cam member and adapted toengage and move said feed bar, and means to adjust the throw of saidelement by said cam member.

11. A hemstitching attachment for sewing machines comprising a framemember adapted to be secured to the presser bar of the machine, meansfor feeding the cloth-past said attachment comprising a feed bar movablyattached to the frame member and adapted for longitudinal and verticalmovement, means to move said feed bar longitudinally of the frameincluding a r0- tatable cam member carried by the frame, a bell cranklever pivoted to the frame having one arm thereof in engagement withsaid cam memher and another arm thereof in engagement with a part ofsaid feed bar whereby the latter is actuated by the cam, and means toadjust the pivot of said lever to vary the length of the feed step.

12. A hemstitching attachment for sewing machines comprising a framemember adapted to be secured to the presser bar'of the machine,

means for feeding the cloth past said attachment comprising a feed barmovably attached to the frame member and adapted for longitudinal andvertical movement, means to move said feed bar longitudinally of theframe including a rOtatg able cam member carried by the frame, a partsecured to said feed bar and actuated by said cam member, and meansmovable into position between said part and said cam member to vary thelength of the feed step.

13. A hemstitching attachment for sewing machines comprising a framemember adapted to be secured to the presser bar of the machine, meansfor feeding the cloth past said attachment comprising a feed bar movablyattached to the frame member and adapted for longitudinal and verticalmovement, means to move said feed bar longitudinally of the frameincluding a rotatable cam member carried by the frame, a part secured tosaid feed bar and actuated by said cam member, and a pivoted elementswingable into and out of position between said part and said cam memberto vary the movement of the feed bar by the cam member.

1a. A hemstitching attachment for sewing machines comprising a framemember, a feed bar slidably connected to said frame member forlongitudinal movement, means to move said feed bar longitudinally of theframe comprising a cam rotatably mounted on the frame, a lug secured tothe feed bar, a lever pivoted on the frame having one arm engaging saidcam memher and the other arm engaging said lug, and an element pivotedto said lug and movable into and out of position between the lever armand said lug to vary the movement of the feed bar by the cam member.

15. A hemstitching attachment comprising a frame member adapted to beattached to the presser bar of a sewing machine, means carried by saidframe to feed the material laterally and forwardly of the machine, apiercer member, and a carrier for said piercer member movably associatedwith the frame, said piercer member being movably secured to the carrierfor movement to inoperative position.

16. A hemstitching attachment comprising a frame member adapted to beattached to the presser bar of a sewing machine, means carried by saidframe to feed the material laterally and forwardly of the machine, apiercer member, acarrier for said piercer member movably associated withthe frame, said piercer member being movably secured to the carrier formovement to inoperative position, and a stop on the carrier to limit theresetting of said piercer memher to its original position.

17. A hemstitching attachment comprising a frame member adapted to beattached to the presser bar of a sewing machine, means carried by saidframe to feed the material laterally and forwardly of the machine, anarm pivoted to the former member, a piercer head carried by said arm,and a piercer member carried by said head, said piercer head beingpivotally secured to said arm to swing the piercer to inoperativeposition.

18. A hemstitching attachment comprising a frame member adapted to beattached to the presser bar of a sewing machine, means carried by saidframe to feed the material laterally and forwardly of the machine, anarm pivoted to the former member, a piercer head carried by said arm, apiercer member carried by said head, said piercer head being pivotallysecured to said arm to. swing the piercer to inoperative position, andmeans on said arm engaging said head to limit the movement of thepiercer when reset to its original position.

19. A hemstitching attachment comprising a frame, operating mechanism onsaid frame for moving the cloth laterally and forwardly and for piercingopenings in the cloth, said mechanism including a shaft rotatablymounted in the frame and actuated from the needle bar of the sewingmachine, said shaft having an enlarged portion at one end thereofpresenting a shoulder, a ratchet wheel non-rotatably secured upon saidend, a hub member lodged against said shoulder, a key upon said shoulderand said hub having a key way facing the shoulder in which the key isreceived.

20. A hemstitching attachment comprising a frame, a feed bar operativelyconnected to the frame for lateral and longitudinal movements relativelythereto, a piercer arm pivoted to the frame for vertical movementrelatively thereto, and means connecting said piercer arm to said feedbar to positively move the former laterally with the latter in bothdirections, said means permitting vertical movement of the piercer armindependently of the feed bar.

21. A hemstitching attachment comprising a frame, a feed bar operativelyconnected to the frame for lateral and longitudinal movements relativelythereto, a piercer arm pivoted to the frame for vertical movementrelatively thereto, and means connecting said piercer arm to said feedbar to move the former laterally with the latter in both directions,said means permitting vertical movement of the piercer arm independentlyof the feed bar, and said means comprising projections on said feed bar,one engaging each side of said piercer arm.

22. A hemstitching attachment comprising a frame, a feed bar operativelyconnected to the frame for lateral and longitudinal movements relativelythereto, a piercer arm pivoted to the frame for vertical movementrelatively thereto, means connecting said piercer arm to said feed barto move the former laterally with the laiter in both directions, saidmeans permitting vertical movement of the piercer arm independently ofthe feed bar and said means comprising a depending finger on saidpiercer arm, and a slot provided in said feed bar into which said fingerextends.

23. An L-shaped piercer member for hemstitching devices comprising ahorizontal supporting portion and a vertical operating portion having apointed end, said portions being disposed at an obtuse angle one to theother, and the taper of the point of said piercer being less on one sidethan on the other.

24. A hemstitching device having a piercer member, means for mountingsaid piercer member in said device at an angle slightly inclined to thevertical, said piercer member having a pointed end, and said point beingeccentric to the axis of said piercer.

25. A hemstitching device having a piercer member, means for mountingsaid piercer member in said device at an angle slightly inclined to thevertical, said piercer member having a pointed end, and said point beingnearer that side of said piercer making an acute angle with thehorizontal than to the opposite side.

26. A hemstitching attachment adapted to be secured to the presser barof a sewing machine, a throat plate adapted to cover the feeding dog ofthe sewing machine below said attachment:

said attachment having a piercer member, said throat plate having anopening for said piercer memberand an opening for the sewing machineneedle, and said plate being provided with a depression in its uppersurface forwardly and at one side of said needle opening.

27. A throat plate for use with a sewing machine hemstitching attachmenthaving a piercer bar, said throat plate having a laterally elongatedopening for the piercer, an L-shaped depression rearwardly of saidopening, and a needle opening at the angle of said depression.

28. A throat plate for use with a sewing machine hemstitching attachmenthaving a piercer bar, said throat plate having a laterally elongatedopening for the piercer, a depression extending rearwardly from saidopening, and a needle opening located in said depression.

29. A throat plate for use with a sewing machine hemstitching attachmenthaving a piercer, said throat plate having an opening to receive thepiercer, said opening being elongated transversely of the direction oftravel of goods through the machine, and indicating means on said throatplate intermediate the ends of, and adjacent the edge of, said openingto mark the position of the piercer.

30. A hemstitching attachment for sewing machines comprising a frameadapted to be attached to the presser bar of the machine, an arm hingedto the frame, a piercer carried by said arm, means attached to said armand extending into the path of movement of the needle bar of the sewingmachine whereby the descent of the needle bar strikes said means andforces the piercer downwardly, spring means to cause said arm to followthe needle bar upon the upward stroke of the latter, and means havingfixed position with respect to the path of movement of the armto limitthe upward movement thereof.

31. A hemstitching attachment for sewing machines having a presser barand a needle bar, said attachment comprising a frame adapted to beattached to the presser bar, an arm pivoted to said frame, a piercersecured to said arm, and means for effecting upward and downwardmovement of said arm in synchronism with the movement of the needle bar.

32. A hemstitching attachment for sewing machines having a needle barand a presser bar, said attachment comprising a, frame adapted to beattached to the presser bar, a piercer arm pivotally secured to theframe and carrying a piercer adjacent one end thereof, means secured tosaid arm and extending in the path of the needle bar whereby the latterforces the piercer arm downwardly, means. to raise the piercer armupwardly after each stroke of the needle bar and means having fixedposition with respect to the path of movement of the arm to limit theupward movement thereof.

33. A hemstitching attachment for sewing machines comprising a frame, apresser foot carried by said frame, a piercing device movably mounted onthe frame, said presser foot being provided with an opening to permitpassage of the piercing device and sewing needle therethrough, and theportion of said opening adjacent the piercing device being enlargedlaterally with respect to the remainder of said opening to permitlateral movement of the piercing device and provide support of the workby the edges of said opening closely adjacent said device.

34. A hemstitching attachment for sewing ma- GEORGE L. HINMAN. CLIFFORDJ. WORD.

